A great number of tactical voice communication devices are now in the inventories of the military services of the United States and allied countries. It is not economically feasible to phase out the existing communication devices and replace them with more modern systems that have no backward compatibility.
In addition to voice communication devices there also are data communication devices for passing targeting data between joint services air and ground weapon platforms for support of missions such as: Suppression of Enemy Air Defense (SEAD), Close Air Support (CAS), Forward Air Control (FAC), special forces operations, air combat, and command control. A SEAD mission may include creating penetration corridors through enemy air defenses using a combination of electronic and physical attack of enemy radars and missiles sites. A CAS mission may include air action against hostile targets which are in close proximity to friendly forces and which require detailed integration of each air mission with the fire and movement of those forces, or action against targets or objectives sufficiently near the supported force as to require detailed integration or coordination of the supporting unit. A FAC mission may include providing timely target data to fighters, preventing fratricide and assisting commanders to see the battlefield from anywhere on the battlefield.
There are needs for interconnectivity with backward compatibility for myriad voice and data communication systems, and for integration with modern digital communication systems. There is a desire for a data modem that meets these needs as well as provides an open architecture so that designs, repairs, upgrades can be performed with great ease and economic savings. Such an open architecture allows the usage of many commercial off-the-shelf hardware components, modules and software that are relatively inexpensive and are readily available.
The data modem presents a multi-path approach to situational awareness in a tactical environment. Such multi-path approach takes into consideration interfacing and integrating communication apparatuses that use 10/100 Base-T Ethernet (e.g. Tactical Internet), MIL-STD-1553B communication port, Universal Serial Bus (USB), Synchronous Data Link Control (SDLC), serial ports (e.g. RS-232, RS-422, and RS-423), Combat Net Radios (CNR), Enhanced Position Location Reporting System (EPLRS), and HF communication equipment. The CNR is a suite of lightweight HF, VHF, and UHF radios that provide ground and air/ground/air communications and can be deployed as manpacks or in vehicles or aircrafts. The EPLRS provides secure, jam-resistant, near real-time data communications support. The Tactical Internet (TI) is a communication infrastructure comprising an integration of tactical radios, computers, routers, and supporting communications equipment providing voice and data transport at various security classifications.
In addition to the task of interfacing and integrating various voice and data systems, the data modem also needs to be housed in a single ruggedized compact field unit that is flight-ready and can withstand harsh environment and operating conditions.